Keys to a Smooth Migration to Digital Alerting White Paper www.swissphone.com
Content 2 The Bigger Picture of Voice Migration 4 Unsuitable Alerting Alternatives 4 Using P25 Pagers on the Same Network 5 Use of cellular-based services to alert first responders 5 Swissphone s Step-by-Step Digital Alerting Solution (DiCal) 6 Digital-Ready Pagers 6 A Smooth Migration to Digital Alerting 7 Unique Digital Communication and Alerting Network 9 Case Study: Monitor Township FD, Bay City, MI 11 Case Study: Blackhawk County, Iowa 11 Conclusion 12
Keys to a Smooth Migration to Digital Alerting 3 5 Reasons Why You Should Choose Swissphone to Migrate to a Digital Alerting Solution You run an analog alerting network with old pagers that barely receive anymore. You re tired of your pager repair and replacement budget being spent too fast. You re frustrated with the long delay of your voice dispatch. Your county is looking into a Project 25 (P25) migration project. If any of these statements apply to you, then this white paper will be of interest for the following reasons. 1 Cost Effectiveness We can offer you a good deal. Our s.quad voice pagers reduced the repair and replacement cost in fire departments by up to 97%. They re built to last, and provide great investment protection. The top voice model costs about the same as a Motorola Minitor VI, but offers much more performance. This pager is digital-ready at no additional cost, allowing you to maximize your analog infrastructure as long as possible. Should you decide to buy the digital s.quad from the start, the price drops by 40%. A P25 pager goes for 3-4 times as much, while being by far less user-friendly. 2 Network Coverage As incredible as it sounds: Our pager increases your network coverage. One reason is because it s the most sensitive pager in the market (< 2,0 µv/m for 2-tone voice and 2,4 µv/m for POCSAG). In addition, it connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth *, and thus receives text messages through cellular, even if your analog network does not cover. If you are considering migrating to digital, we suggest you go a step further: For 5% of the total cost of your P25 project, we build a self-reliant digital alerting network for you. It will provide excellent indoor coverage that your P25 network typically won t satisfy, especially not in rural areas. P25 is simply too expensive for it. 3 Faster Alert Time Together with the text message, an extremely loud alert and a vibrating alarm alert the firefighter or first responder. Without reading the message, he knows his help is needed and that he should jump into the car to head to the fire house or directly to the scene. A multi-colored flashing LED visually supports the alarm, further indicating the urgency of the alert. Within seconds the fireman understands what type of alert it is, without even having to read the message: When the voice dispatch with more information comes through, he is already well on his way, saving precious time. 4 System Resilience «Don t I get fast, alerts with a smartphone app as well?» you might think. Consider what happens in a crisis, the moment when you and your firefighters are needed the most. Typically, it is exactly this moment that everyone wants to use their smartphones. This can lead to congestion or even breakdown of the cellular infrastructure the same infrastructure you wanted to alert your responders with. Therefore you are considering a P25 project, consider system resiliency as well. Our digital paging network is independent from your voice radio system and offers various fallback modes. This network will run when nothing else will, even in a power blackout situation. 5 Compliance to Public Safety Standards The NFPA 1221 standard attempts to help «establish the required levels of performance of emergency services communications systems». It explicitly exempts alerting solutions based on commercial telephone infrastructure and clearly asks for separate communication and alerting networks. The Swissphone solution offers you full compliance whit the NFPA 1221 standard, and allows you to take one step at a time on your migration path to digital. Swissphone s end-to-end-encryption is also compliant with HIPAA regulations, the standard protecting sensitive patient data. * BLE support subject to mobile device type and operating system.
Keys to a Smooth Migration to Digital Alerting 4 The Bigger Picture of Voice Migration The U.S. public safety market is in the midst of changing from analog to digital communication technology. In many cases, the driver for this shift has been the switch from analog two-way voice communication to a more modern digital P25 infrastructure. Along with voice, other systems in the PSAP migrated to digital during recent years. This is only one part of the equation, as the alerting infrastructure for paging has been running on the analog network in parallel. Traditionally, analog networks were carrying both the two-way voice communication and the paging systems to alert volunteer and fulltime responders. Often, this joint infrastructure has come to the end of its lifecycle. This may be due to technological advances and, in many cases, lack of investment in new infrastructure. Also, the recent switch from legacy wideband to narrowband technology has led to a loss of coverage both for voice and for paging. Not receiving an alert is a nightmare for every committed firefighter who is on standby to save lives every day and night. For successful migration planning, the future of the alerting infrastructure needs to be taken into account from the start. With the rise of digital technology, many agencies and counties are switching over to digital voice communication systems. While this brings great advantages on the quality and performance of their voice communication, the paging side is often left with the old analog networks where, along with the lack of coverage, there may be additional drawbacks, such as, pager users are not being able to listen to the new P25 ground channel. Additionally, the operation and maintenance of the old analog networks can be too costly when used for paging alone. Figure 1: Single analog network for analog radio and paging is being migrated to digital. Swissphone provides a step-by-step solution to allow you to follow the pace you want, see also Figure 3. For successful migration planning, the future of the alerting infrastructure needs to be taken into account from the start. Proper planning helps avoiding loss of performance, higher costs and frustration of your personnel. In most cases, this will lead to the migration of pour analog paging to digital paging (see Figure 1) - at a fraction of the entire project cost. In some cases, you may want to optimize your existing analog infrastructure in the meantime with little effort, with pagers that are far more sensitive and allow increasing the coverage of your analog network. Swissphone offers a step-by-step solution that provides you maximum value for both scenarios, as shown in this whitepaper. Unsuitable Alerting Alternatives Some counties have considered P25 pagers or using commercial cellular to resolve the described dilemma, neither of which is compliant with the NFPA 1221 standards, nor cost-effective:
Keys to a Smooth Migration to Digital Alerting 5 Using P25 Pagers on the Same Network In order to migrate their analog pagers, some agencies consider using P25 pagers. However, their use comes with four major disadvantages: Cost: P25 pagers are very costly, being priced at around $1,000. On the other hand, a high-quality digital fire pager, running on the POCSAG protocol, costs around $200. POCSAG is the predominant global standard for digital paging. For a fleet of 300 pagers, this results in a difference of $240,000. If you further consider a fleet replacement every 5 years, this cost difference grows to $720,000 over a 15 year period. Convenience: Pagers based on technology designed for two-way radio devices are quite big and bulky, and need to be recharged every 1-2 days. In comparison, high-quality digital pagers are very slim and can run up to 3 months on one battery, making them very convenient for volunteer firefighters who carry their pagers every day. Additionally, digital pagers can be operated for months on a single AA battery, which is an ideal solution in the case of a power outage or as a permanent solution for agencies who want to avoid the cost of battery chargers altogether. Switching to P25-based alerting or cellular-based messaging solutions are not suitable options when planning to go digital. Coverage: P25 networks are often designed and built for outdoor-coverage for enforcement personnel. Alerting networks built specifically for volunteer firemen typically have higher requirements, both in regards to coverage in remote and rural areas, and in terms of in-building coverage. The consequence is that even with modern P25 pagers, firefighters may not receive the alert. Given the cost of P25 base stations, it would be very costly to densify the P25 network in order to make it comply with the requirements of an alerting infrastructure for firefighters. Emergency Backup: A combined communication and alerting infrastructure operates as a single network without a secondary/backup network. This fact makes it vulnerable during times it is needed the most: In such case of a breakdown, first responders cannot be reached, leading to threats of lives and property loss. This is why the NFPA 1221 standard asks for separate communication and alerting networks (9.1.1.3.1., 9.1.1.4 (2B). Use of cellular-based services to alert first responders Smartphone apps have seen a large growth in the last few years thanks to great marketing efforts of the startup companies behind these services. But they come with the following drawbacks: Emergency Backup: App-based messaging services run on the commercial cellular networks. These public networks may work just fine in normal situations. However, in case of a crisis such as a tornado, large fire, earthquake, you name it, this communication channel will be overloaded within a few minutes and eventually go out of service. When firefighters will be needed the most, they cannot be alerted and therefore cannot respond to action. Compliance: The NFPA 1221 standard explicitly exempts alerting solutions based on commercial telephone infrastructure (9.1.1.3.3., 9.1.1.4 (5)). Settling for appbased alerting services while at the same time investing heavily in a state-of-the-art P25 system for voice, just does not seem to be a wise place to cut costs when you re trying to improve your overall public safety services. For these reasons, switching from analog paging to P25-based alerting or cellularbased messaging solutions are not suitable options when planning to go digital with mission critical communications systems.
Keys to a Smooth Migration to Digital Alerting 6 Swissphone s Step-by-Step Digital Alerting Solution (DiCal) Swissphone s digital alerting solution (DiCal) resolves the above-mentioned issues while giving you all the flexibility and freedom you look for before and after a migration to digital. Swissphone offers a pager that allows you to optimize your existing analog infrastructure, while giving you a perspective of easily migrating to a state of the art digital paging system whenever you re ready. This unique system is the next level of what is known as «simulcast paging» across the U.S. The system is independent from your P25 system, and thus in full compliance with the NFPA 1221 standards. For around 5% of the cost of your entire P25 project, you get an entire digital alerting solution, including network controller, base stations, pagers and dispatch platform. For around 5% of the cost of your P25 project, you get an entire digital alerting solution. In the case study at the end of this whitepaper you can read how Blackhawk County will migrate to Swissphone s DiCal solution. This case shows how the compliancy with NFPA 1221 facilitated funding. This was only possible by projecting P25 voice and digital paging at the same time and as part of the same project. Digital-Ready Pagers Swissphone s analog s.quad voice pagers are designed to provide a quick fix for your most pressing issues with your current analog network even before a migration: Highest sensitivity in the industry: The s.quad voice pager achieves a sensitivity of 2 µv/m (see below Figure 2). This high sensitivity means your pager will more likely alert when others don t be it with your old analog or your future digital network. No other pager has been able to duplicate this result. Bluetooth connection: The s.quad voice comes with a Bluetooth connection, allowing it to connect to smartphones *. This functionality enables the pager to receive alerts and messages via cellular much quicker than via voice dispatch. By the time the voice dispatch gets through, a firefighter may already be well on his way. Loud and clear alerts: Along with the text message, an extremely loud alert (95 db(a) @ 1ft distance) makes the fireman realize that his help is needed. A multicolored LED visually supports the alarm, indicating the urgency of the alert. If desired, the alert can be augmented with a vibration pattern. Within seconds the fireman understands what type of alarm it is, without even reading the message. Extremely robust: In spite of its compact size, s.quad voice is water- and dustproof and one of the most ruggedized pagers currently available (6.5 feet drop test). Designed with the help of computer-based drop simulations, it is capable of withstanding rough handling for many years. Efficient dispatching: The Bluetooth connection allows a responder to change his availability status via the pager. This gives the dispatcher at the PSAP peace of mind in regards to whether or not enough firefighters and other specialists are available at a given moment. Once an alarm is received a firefighter acknowledges whether or not he is responding, and this directly displays on the pager with the push of one button. This information allows the dispatcher to promptly call for additional firefighters if needed, dramatically reducing the time to have sufficient responders on site. * BLE support subject to mobile device type and operating system.
Keys to a Smooth Migration to Digital Alerting 7 Comfort and battery autonomy: s.quad voice is slim, lightweight at only 3.81 ounces and comfortable to wear. As an analog pager, s.quad remains operational up to one week without battery recharging. As a digital pager, it can withstand up to three months without charging. If needed, it also runs with one standard AA alkaline battery. LTE/FirstNet ready: The s.quad voice pager is LTE/FirstNet ready. The s.quad gateway app for smartphones also runs on a FirstNet-ready smartphone, allowing you to extend your alerting network coverage through FirstNet hybrid paging. The s.quad voice therefore provides great investment protection for many years and every likely scenario. Figure 2. Eight-position sensitivity measurement on the saltyman, VHF (142.05 MHz, 1200 baud). Once you re ready for migration to digital paging, you already own digital pagers. The s.quad voice is the only pager in the market that is digital ready: With a single firmware update, the s.quad voice becomes a digital pager. Swissphone provides the necessary firmware free of charge, allowing customers to update at their own convenience. A Smooth Migration to Digital Alerting The digital-ready s.quad voice pager allows you to make the most of your analog network before eventually migrating it to a digital alerting network. With its exceptional sensitivity, the s.quad voice provides a quick fix to address coverage issues you may have with your analog network. It is this feature that allows a smooth migration to digital alerting, at your pace and while protecting your investment (see Figure 3). Figure 3. The s.quad voice pager provides a quick fix to address coverage issues you may have with your analog network. Once you re ready for migration to digital paging, the s. QUAD voice becomes a digital pager.
Keys to a Smooth Migration to Digital Alerting 8 Being able to receive alerts much faster and combined with a text message, the s.quad will also help your firefighters get used to the advantages of digital paging before migrating to an actual digital solution, as they will experience similar performance before and after a migration (see Figures 3 & 4). Figure 3. The network architecture with the s.quad voice pager before migrating your network to digital. Red components provided by Swissphone. Figure 4. The network architecture with the s.quad voice pager after migrating your network to digital. Red components provided by Swissphone. However, please note that the switch from an analog s.quad to a digital s.quad entails certain trade-offs, some of which will be perceived as advantages and some as disadvantages. The main advantage is increased battery autonomy. The pager will run from roughly one week to up to three months with the same battery. The main disadvantage is that a digital pager does not feature voice capabilities anymore, as it becomes purely an alphanumeric pager. Table 1 lists the main differences of an analog s.quad voice pager and a digital s.quad x35 pager. s.quad Voice Pager (analog) Voice Capability Yes No s.quad x35 Pager (digital) Text Message Yes, via cellular Yes, via POCSAG paging and via cellular Battery Autonomy 160 hours (1 week) 2,500 hours (3 months) Table 1. The main differences of the s.quad pager before and after migration. * BLE support subject to mobile device type and operating system.
Keys to a Smooth Migration to Digital Alerting 9 Of course, you can purchase the s.quad pager as a digital pager from the start, resulting in cost savings, as the s.quad x35 costs about 40% less than an s.quad voice pager. Unique Digital Communication and Alerting Network Swissphone s digital alerting solution DiCal is based on the open POCSAG protocol, the predominant global standard for digital paging. Based on this open standard, Swissphone has developed a unique network architecture that has been refined throughout 25 years and implemented in more than 300 alerting networks worldwide (see case study below). Swissphone s DiCal solution meets all relevant NFPA 1221 requirements for alerting, and its end-to-end-encryption is also compliant with HIPAA, the standard protecting sensitive patient data. This solution provides many benefits for the user, as well as for the operator: Based on an open standard, Swissphone has implemented more than 300 alerting networks worldwide. Fast dispatch time: The smart interface to the CAD system shortens the time for dispatch and improves your response time. Unlike analog voice paging, the dispatcher does not need to prepare, wait and speak the message to be transmitted. The dispatcher can release pre-defined alphanumeric messages immediately via POCSAG. Also, having an independent digital paging network alongside the P25 network reduces possible radio transmission and channel conflicts, reducing dispatch time even further as well as reducing the risk of missed messages on pagers. The right coverage: The DiCal technology allows base stations to communicate over a backhaul network, but also over the air, using a single frequency/channel for alerting, monitoring and configuration. As the base stations are very energy efficient, they can be powered by solar panels and batteries if needed. Furthermore, you can expand or improve coverage beyond a traditional simulcast system since additional transmitter sites don t rely on an expensive IP or microwave connection for backhaul. DiCal base stations can therefore be placed at any location at little cost, allowing optimal rural and indoor coverage. Low CapEx and OpEx: POCSAG base stations are a relatively low investment. Overall, compared to a normal P25 base station, they cost approximately 20 times less per installed unit. On top, the maintenance cost is extremely low, as both preventive and corrective maintenance is drastically reduced; the MTBF (meantime between failure) of a Swissphone base station is 7.4 years. Plus, there is no license attached to the POCSAG protocol, and the DiCal Solution runs on standard industrial computers, which are very cost competitive. Finally, digital pagers are substantially cheaper than analog ones. Disaster-proven: The unique DiCal network architecture itself is built as a redundant system, allowing continued operations if any one of its components are out of service. Also, it offers up to nine fallback modes, to the point of alerting the entire network from any base station, even if all other third party networks are down. This is nicely complementary to the fact that the digital s.quad pagers from Swissphone run on a single AA battery (or a rechargeable battery) for up to three months, making DiCal disaster-proven. Encryption: Mission orders issued by emergency services often contain confidential information. Whenever this type of sensitive information is communicated, it must be protected from external interference. Swissphone offers AES and IDEA encryption as an option to all of our digital paging systems. All messages are encoded starting from their input all the way to the receiving pagers. Swissphone IDEA allows shorter transmission times and requires less memory as the AES standard, but provides the same security.
Keys to a Smooth Migration to Digital Alerting 10 Figure 5. The patented Multi-Primary-Secondary Network (Simulcast +). For experts, the DiCal network architecture deserves more detailed explanation. Swissphone s patented Multi-Primary-Secondary Network Architecture combines the advantages of simulcast broadcast and of wave propagation from primary to secondary base stations, while eliminating some of their disadvantages. It is therefore referred to as «Simulcast +». The messages are simulcasted over multiple primary base stations to the paging network. A GPS antenna installed with every primary base station ensures that all primary base stations send out the alert simultaneously. However, these primary base stations are positioned with sufficient distance from each other in order to avoid interferences an issue classic simulcast networks face. From these multiple primary base stations, the message is further distributed via wave propagation from primary base station to secondary base stations. A main advantage of the primary-secondary architecture compared to simulcast network architecture is that secondary base stations don t need an IP connection, significantly reducing construction and operational costs. With Swissphone s network architecture, these secondary base stations are organized in rings around the primary base station, transmitting from one ring to the next. These rings are intertwined (see Figure 5) to decrease the issue of interference occuring in overlaps within one ring, as well as increasing the security of transmission, as pagers get a second and sometimes third chance to hear a message in case they didn t receive the initial message correctly. This enables the pager to display the message correctly, even if not all bits are received correctly. The pager will improve the received message with the information of the following broadcast transmission from other rings, without alerting again. This pager function is called alert suppression. But what are the advantages of having several primary base stations, instead of only one, as in classic network architecture? The answer is as simple as it is relevant for the intended public safety applications: If the one and only primary base station of a network fails, the entire network fails. Several primary base stations increase the redundancy and speed of the transmission. Should the IP conections to any of the primary base stations in Swissphone s Multi-Primary-Secondary Network Architecture fail, it automatically becomes a
Keys to a Smooth Migration to Digital Alerting 11 secondary base station, with the others performing the job of the fallback primary base station. This is actually one of up to nine fallback modes mentioned earlier that make this solution so stable, safe and reliable. As the only provider in the market offering a fully integrated alerting system including pagers, resource management systems and networks, Swissphone is the ideal partner for agencies and counties planning to digitize their alerting processes and services, making their alerting and dispatching more efficient and effective step-by-step at the customer s pace and at low cost. Case Study: Monitor Township FD, Bay City, MI Using the s.quad replacement costs and repair costs have dropped 97%. The Monitor Township Fire Department has been using the s.quad voice pager for more than one year. «We used the Motorola Minitor IVs and Vs for years. There is no comparison when it comes to the quality and dependability of the s.quad. The biggest difference is the area of coverage is greater and there is no static when activated. I actually get my pages outside of my county, which with the old pagers, I was lucky to get it inside my township. The other issue was repairs. The old Minitors were always breaking down and had to be sent in, and the cost was astronomical. My budget for the year was always used up three months into the year. With the s.quad I do not have this problem and my replacement costs and repair costs have dropped 97% since moving to this pager,» says Monitor Township Fire Chief John Kramer. «Since I moved to the s.quad pager, the quality, crispness of voice, and durability has been outstanding. It is easy to use and the service is great. I also like that we have a programmer, which saves me time and money and enables quick turn around when a pager needs reprograming,» adds Chief Kramer. Case Study: Blackhawk County, Iowa Black Hawk County, Iowa has always been a leader in public safety communications technology. Both their early adoption of 800 MHz trunking and pioneering text-to-911 can attest to this. Black Hawk territory covers 573 square miles. This previously was covered by a single analog base station along with two store/forward repeaters for two-tone paging. When Black Hawk County started planning for a switch to P25, the project leaders wanted to improve and modernize their paging system. Rather than simply replacing it with the same technology they ve had for the last 20 years. They sought to achieve all the advantages just discussed. To do so they leveraged the five planned P25 tower sites for enhanced simulcast coverage with DiCal base stations and gained the flexibility to further extend coverage as the county s population continues to grow. As planned, the two-networks-solution (P25 and DiCal) is in compliance with the NFPA 1221 standards. This compliance was one of the reasons why the entire project received funding from elected county officials. The whole solution (P25 and DiCal) was purchased from RACOM Corporation, Swissphone s distribution partner and local project integrator for Black Hawk County. As previously mentioned, the whole Swissphone DiCal solution is just a small portion (approximately 5%) of the total cost of the entire project, but will perfectly serve the needs for alerting during the next decades.
Keys to a Smooth Migration to Digital Alerting 12 The implementation and rollout of a DiCal system is quite simple and takes only a couple of weeks. All the basic configuration and programming is made by RACOM or Swissphone. The base stations can literally be placed where they are needed; rack mounted at existing tower sites or wall mounted at every other location. Also a rollout in phases is very convenient, once the basic setup is done, additional base stations can easily be added and configured into the whole paging network. «Deploying digital simulcast fire paging will lower our overall cost, increase coverage and decrease response times. We re excited to be deploying the DiCal solution from Swissphone to our fire and EMS first responders throughout the County,» says Cedar Falls Fire Chief John Schilling. Conclusion Swissphone offers a solution that supports you however far down the route to digital you are. A combination of a P25 project with a migration to digital paging can significantly increase the chance of funding for the entire project. If you need an immediate quick fix to address some of the issues of your existing analog alerting infrastructure, the s.quad voice pager is a great way to increase coverage, reduce repair and replacement costs, and make your dispatching processes faster and more efficient. The same pager can be turned into a digital pager once you re ready to migrate to digital paging. If you are planning a digital migration, it is worthwhile to consider both sides of the equation when switching over: voice communication with radios as well as alerting with paging. The planned migration of your voice communication to P25 is the best moment to migrate to digital paging with a complete DiCal solution as well. It will bring you the following advantages: Increasing coverage where you need it Shorter alerting times Reducing operational costs Improving user acceptance and compliance Be fully in line with NFPA 1221 and HIPAA regulations You receive all of this at 5% of the total cost of your P25 project. Nevertheless, as in the case of Blackhawk County, a combination of a P25 project with a migration to digital paging at the same time can significantly increase the chance of funding for the entire project. This opportunity makes it worthwhile to spend time specifying the future paging solution when applying for P25 project grants. Swissphone provides a proven solution at an affordable cost. Do you want to learn more? Visit: www.swissphone.com, info.usa@swissphone.com or call 800-596-1914 us. Swissphone LLC 1194 West Ash Street, Suite C Windsor, CO 80550 Tel.: (800) 596 1914 Fax: (970) 460 3014 info.usa@swissphone.com